Fergie: Ronaldo too isolated

Sir Alex Ferguson claims Manchester United would have beaten Barcelona in Wednesday night's Champions League semi-final first leg had Cristiano Ronaldo been given more support by his team-mates.

Despite missing a third-minute penalty, Ronaldo was United's most dangerous player as they drew 0-0 at the Nou Camp.

Ferguson said: "In Cristiano Ronaldo, I thought we had a player who could win the match. He was a constant threat and I thought that, with better support, we could have won."

Ferguson felt let down by his side's midfield, saying: "I am bit disappointed in the transition between defence and attack.

"We are normally better at keeping possession of the ball, that causes more concern than any other part of the game."

The United boss also claimed his side surrendered possession too often.

He said: "We will analyse (why we didn't score) in the next two to three days, but we lacked penetration. We were not quick enough out of central areas and when you give the ball away at this level, you have to go back and defend."

Wayne Rooney and Park Ji-Sung were asked to play in unfamiliar roles and Ferguson believes those changes affected his side.

"Asking Rooney to play a different position and Park as well obliged us to defend more," he said.

However, the veteran manager who claims Paul Scholes - making his 100th Champions League appearance - was United's best player, added: "Scholes was probably the best player, with confidence and belief in his own ability always there."